informal letter

Friendly written message

An informal letter is personal correspondence written to friends, family, or acquaintances, distinguished from formal or business letters by its relaxed tone and flexible structure.

The style allows contractions, colloquialisms, and personal asides: She ended her informal letter with "Write back soon!"

Related

pen and paper · dear · dear friend · thinking of you · chatty · postcard · envelope · stamp · snail mail · pen pal · keeping in touch · long time no see · correspondence · salutation · closing · warmth · conversational · greeting

Opposites
formality/register

informal letterformal letter

Structured professional written communication

business letter · official correspondence · business correspondence · registered letter · cover letter

personal vs. institutional purpose

informal letterlegal notice

Required official announcement

court summons · eviction notice · termination letter · tax notice · collection letter

purpose and context

informal letterbusiness correspondence

Professional written exchanges

legal document · form letter · court summons · tax notice · collection letter

Family

informal, letter, inform, informally, informality, formal, formally, formality, formalize

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G